"This is happening every day": When Selena Gomez defended the controversial theme that Netflix's 13 Reasons Why was based on

Netflix's hit series 13 Reasons Why, executive produced by Selena Gomez, which is based off Jay Asher's best-selling 2007 novel of the same name, has had controversy surrounding it because of addressing issues like bullying and suicide among teenagers. It was claimed by viewers that the central character's trajectory in the show could well influence impressionable young minds to follow the same course.

The series shows the life of Hannah Baker (played by Australian actress Katherine Langford), who makes the painful decision of ending her life after being unable to cope with constant bullying at school. She leaves behind thirteen tapes, each tape giving away one person responsible for her tragic decision. When 13 Reasons Why was released in 2017, school administrators, parents, and counselors expressed concern about the graphic portrayal of suicide and assault in it.

Selena Gomez, who was one of the executive producers of the Netflix series, defended the show from accusations of it glorifying teen suicide when she appeared on Elvis Duran And The Morning Show in 2017, stating:

"This is happening every day...Whether or not you wanted to see it, that's what's happening."

Gomez further continued:

"That stuff is uncomfortable for people to talk about, but it is happening and hopefully, it opened the door for people to actually accept what's happening and actually go and change it, talk about it."

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"I understood that we were doing something that is difficult": Selena Gomez on how she felt about executive producing teen drama 13 Reasons Why

Selena Gomez believes that the controversial suicide scene, which was eventually removed two years after the show's season 1 first aired, has created "conversation," which is important because people need to be able to talk about these issues. It was important to be "honest" and "real" while portraying these issues in the show.

The drama not only shows self harm and s*xual assault, but also depression, s*ut-shaming, and substance abuse. Talking about the content of the show, Gomez added:

"The content is complicated. It's dark and it has moments that are honestly very hard to swallow, and I understood that we were doing something that is difficult."

Selena Gomez had later revealed on Instagram that she is passionate about the project because the show has an important message to deliver on how "people are hurting" and that they need to "be heard."

In an interview with Allure in 2020, the Rare Beauty mogul called the show "one of the highest accomplishments of her career."

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Selena Gomez on mental health and relating to 13 Reasons Why's Hannah Baker

Gomez has always been candid about her mental health -- her bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression. Opening up about her own mental health in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022, the Back To You singer talked about how she had contemplated suicide for several years:

“I thought the world would be better if I wasn’t there."

This was reportedly one of the reasons why the show was so close to her heart because self harm is a significant element of it. Selena Gomez was originally chosen to play Hannah Baker when there were talks of the show airing in 2011.

However, when the project was finalized later, Katherine Langford was selected to play Hannah Baker, and Gomez became an executive producer, wanting to be a part of the show. Since then, the Wolves singer had been deeply involved with the show, visiting the set frequently to give her inputs on character development. Gomez even dropped her own cover of Only You as one of the featured songs of the series.